Eternally
by ElenaDSalvatore
Summary: Written mostly in Elena's POV. Damon and Elena are friends...Just friends.But what if that wasn't enough for her.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Crazy,Stupid,Love.**

**Friday, April 6**

"Damon I'm pretty sure Katherine won't mind if your shirt has a small stain on the side. I'm pretty sure she wont even notice. "Elena watched him rummage through his cupboard looking for a new shirt.

"Its not just about the shirt Elena. "He sat down next to her on his bed. "II really like her. When I' with her its like I cant breathe properly. I can't function when I'm around her. And she's really hot." He added with a smirk.

Elena smiled. She'd known Damon her entire life and she'd never see him panic like tis over a girl. Normally, he'd just throw on whatever he found in his closet. Whether he looked like James bond or Ace Ventura he didn't care. It was just a date to him. But this time it was more. He had been crushing on Katherine since his final year at college. They'd met on campus and he was completely taken by her.

"Okay, Fine!" She said getting up and walking into his closet. She took a black shirt of its hanger and gave it him along with a black leather jacket. Damon's signature look. "Happy now?" she joked.

"Ah! Elena Gilbert, my style guru. What would I do without you?"

"You'd probably die" she playfully punched his shoulder. "Anyway, you should seriously go shower cause you stink. Literally."

"Mean." He smirked "You wanna join me?"

"Yes Damon I would love to join you because you are just so hot, Mr. Salvatore." she laughed and started pretending to fan herself.

"Ugh! You two should totally get a room." They turned around to see Stefan. Damon's younger brother. He and Elena were the same age and they'd been friends since they were young but no one would ever replace the role of a friend that Damon was. No, that was solely Damon's place.

"Jealous much, Stefan?" Damon said heading towards the shower.

"Of you? _Totally_." Stefan said sarcastically. He waited till Damon was gone and then he looked at Elena. "So, have you told him that you're in love with him yet?" he whispered with a wink.

"Shhh!" she hissed looking at the bathroom door. "He might here you. And I'm not in love with him."

"You're right. You're not in love with him. You just stare at him when he's shirtless and right now you're probably stabbing yourself on the inside for agreeing to help him with his date who you are so jealous of!" he smirked.

"You're just jealous cause he could get a date and you couldn't. "She smiled. She could deny it as many times as she wanted. She could shrug it off whenever she had to. But no matter what, she was not going to tell Damon how she felt. That she loved him. He'd hate her. She'd disgust him. He'd think she was pretending to be his friend so that he'd learn to love her. So she just pretended like those feelings were never there.

She caught Stefan staring at her. "Fine, ill say it. I have feeling type thingys for Damon. Are you happy?"

"Lena you have to tell him."

"Tell me what?" they turned around to see a shirtless Damon with a towel wrapped around his bottom half. Elena couldn't stop herself from staring at his perfect body. She watched the water drip from his arms and legs and she felt a wave of electricity flow through her. "Like what you see?" Damon whispered to Elena but Stefan heard him.

"Tell me again why you two aren't together." Stefan saw Elena glare at him out of the corner of his eye.

"No need. Anyway I must go. Elena are we on for Friday night movie marathon tomorrow?" Damon asked.

"You bet. I already got the popcorn and beer and a chic flic. Don't panic its just one." She said with a smile.

"Okay. Bye." He looked at Stefan" I might not come back alone tonight. So don't walk around in smiley face boxers throwing yourself a pity party okay?" Elena giggled looking at Stefan's face heat up.

"Have fun." Damon sang as he walked out of the door. It took Stefan and Elena a few seconds to start talking again.

"So, are you going to tell him tomorrow?" Stefan asked Elena.

"Yeah. Like I'm going to tell him. There are 3 ways that could work out. He's either going to be heartbroken because Katherine doesn't feel the same way about him or he's going to be in a relationship with an amazing, beautiful and smart girl or he is going to tell me we cant be friends anymore because he doesn't feel the same way." She smiled at Stefan.

"Yeah but wouldn't it be better if you knew how he felt so that you could maybe move on or be with him." He put his hand on her shoulder when he saw some tears building up in her eyes.

"I can handle not being able to tell Damon how I feel." She paused, wiping a tear that slipped." But I'm not sure what I would do if I told him and he rejected me."

"What if he feels the same way?" Stefan said, trying to reassure her. "You've been friends since forever what if he sees it as more than that?"

"What if he doesn't?" she said. Then she got up and started walking towards the door "Damon and I meeting tomorrow night but I'm free in the day wanna do something?" Stefan nodded and she left the house.

**Saturday, April 7.**

Elena awoke to the smell of fresh coffee and sugar-filled pancakes. She went downstairs to see her aunt Jenna at the table along with her best friends Caroline and Bonnie.

"Hey!" She said as she reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Morning Sunshine!" Jenna said. "Grab a seat and let this _amazing _food take you away." She winked at Elena.

"So. Who's making breakfast? And I know it wasn't one of you guys because you all suck at pancakes." She giggled as Caroline pretended to pout.

"That would be me. Want some?" She turned around to see him. Damon. With a pan in his hand and cloth draped over his white shirt. It framed his upper-body perfectly.

"Damon? What are you doing here?" She went over to him hugging him after he put down the pan. "Aren't you supposed to be with Katherine right now?" she whispered, winking.

"We'll talk about it later." He whispered back. She figured things probably went bad last night. She knew she was supposed to feel bad for him but she couldn't help but feel a little relieved and happy on the inside. Who was she kidding she was in love with Damon Salvatore and he would never love her back. Not in the same way. But she wasn't going to give up without a fight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: I just want t thank you all so much for the great reviews and I think I even got an add on Instagram from my best friend so thanks so much. **

**This chapter was inspired by the song Let Her Go by Passenger. **

**Saturday, 7 April. (**_**Continued.**_**)**

"Okay. Enough is enough, Damon. You've been avoiding this all day. What the hell happened last night with Katherine?" Elena stared at him waiting for an answer. All day he'd been avoiding her.

First, it was the breakfast. He'd sat there and told them all the story of how his mom taught him to make the perfect breakfast. Consisting of magically _made to perfection_ eggs, a simple glass of OJ and his secret family recipe for pancakes.

Next, He had to go to the shelter because he volunteers there while Stefan and I hung out at home and ordered a pizza. He only got back like 5 hours later, which was about the time that I figured out he was avoiding me. Then, he went to go buy some chocolate and granola bars for our movie night. Now here we are. Finally alone in a room and he isn't even looking me in the eye.

"Things were fine, Elena." He still wasn't making eye contact with her.

"Fine? What does that mean, Damon?" she whispered.

"It doesn't mean anything, Elena. Things were fine. Why does it matter to you anyway?"

"Because you're my friend and I care." She grabbed his hand and felt her whole body heat up as he intertwined their fingers. "So please, tell me."

"Okay. But you need to stop hovering." He gave her the smallest hint of a smile. "She kissed me."

"And then what?"

"And then I left. I don't know Lena I know it's only been one date but I think I'm falling for this girl."

He said it with so much joy and Elena felt so happy for him. For like a millisecond. Then she felt like she'd been daggered in the heart a hundred and one times. She tried to hold back her tears but a few slipped out.

"Hey? What's wrong?" He looked into her brown doe eyes wiping away her tears. "You're not jealous are you?" He said with a slight smirk.

"Nothing's wrong" she lied.

" I'm just happy for you. I know you've been crushing on this girl for like 6 months and I'm just happy that you're happy." Again. Another lie. She was looking him in the eye and lying straight to his face.

"You sure Lena? Cause I'm here for you." He hugged her. She felt so safe in his arms.

She loved it when he'd sit with her like this and just hold her. Because in those rare, perfect moments, they were themselves. They'd be Damon and Elena. No drama. No relationships. No one and nothing else, just them. Elena thought back to the first time they'd ever sat like that in a moment of complete love and silence.

_"Hey you." She whispered as she sat down on his bed. She could tell just by looking at it that he hadn't slept on it. Though there were tissues all over the dresser. She felt her heart break a little for him. _

_"Hey you." He said back, showing her just a hint of a smile. He walked over to his closet and took out a suit jacket. She'd never seen him wear a suit. Heck, didn't even think he owned one. But she managed not to comment on that today._

_"How you holdin' up?" She asked. She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say but she couldn't think of anything else. _

_"How do you think?" He snapped. He saw her look down at her hands but he could still see the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry Lena." He sat down next to her reaching for her hand and squeezing it tightly._

_"It's okay, Damon. You don't have to apologize." She whispered. _

_"She's gone!" tears started rolling down his face and she pulled him in for a hug." I loved her so much. She was everything to me. And now she's just gone." He turned his face away hiding his tears from her. _

_She turned his head around, cupping his face in her hands. "It's going to get better, Okay? I promise you," she whispered. They looked into each other's eyes and just for a moment Elena thinks he actually loves her back. The way she wants him too. In that moment, she has hope that he'll put his lips against hers and let passion, lust, and desire take them away. Then Damon stands up and walks back toward the mirror, shattering Elena's moment of hope. _

"_Can you help me with this?" He asks holding up a royal blue tie. She nods, slowly walks over to him hoping he doesn't see her making her 'cheerleader crushing on the quarterback' eyes. _

"_That's a bit of a bold color choice don't you think. And why is it so small?" she points to his tie wrapping it around his neck._

"_She gave it to me." He doesn't need to elaborate more on who he's talking about she already knows." When I was 10." He smirks. "It was my birthday present. I was obsessed with becoming some big time lawyer when I grew up."_

"_Then what happened?" _

"_Things changed. I changed." He closes his jacket button. And turns towards her, picking up her purse. "You ready to go Princess Gilbert." She covered her face in humiliation._

"_Damon-I don't know your middle name-Salvatore! You promised you'd never use that again. It was a phase. I was 6.__** Get over it**__. She playfully shoved him._

"_Come on. Lets go down. Can't keep my baby bro waiting forever." _

"_Damon, wait!" He stopped just as he reached the doorframe._

"_Yeah?" _

_She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Squeezing him for all she was worth. "I'm sorry your Mom died." She whispered. And he squeezed her back. She felt his tears fall onto her shoulder. They stood like that a few minutes. And that was it. That was there first moment._

"Earth to Elena!" Damon waved a bowl of popcorn in front of her.

"Yeah?" she'd disappeared into her thoughts for a moment. Remembering that bittersweet moment. "What were you saying?"

"I said I think you should start dating again." Once again, Elena received the usual dagger in her heart feeling from hearing his words.

"You think what?" she was used to hearing those sorts of things from Jenna, Caroline, and bonnie. But hearing them from Damon, hearing him basically tells her to move on. Hurt like Hell.

"I just think you should start looking for Mr. Right."

_He's sitting right in front of me_. She thought.

"Excuse me?" she said sarcastically "As I recall, you're the one who's kicked all my boyfriends' asses from here to China." She laughed.

" Only because you usually just date jerks. And PS. that's the nicest adjective I could think of." He smirked." Besides we could be those two overly protective best friends who go on doubles dates!"

"What's next?'" she joked." Are we going to braid each others hair and paint each others nails?" He chuckled at the thought of her trying to braid his raven black hair. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Caroline would never forgive me for going on a double date with you instead of her." We both broke into laughter picturing the look on Caroline's face.

"Oh please, Blondie and I have a mutual love-hate relationship."

"Sure you do!" she said sarcastically. Urging Damon to throw a few pieces of popcorn at her face. "Stop it. Can we please just get back to our movie?" she pressed play. And they spent the rest of the night watching movie after movie cuddled up on that couch, until eventually their eyes closed and they were sleeping in peaceful bliss.

**Sunday, April 8.**

Elena woke up in her living room. She sat up and scanned the room. Everything thing was the same. Pieces of popcorn lay all over the floor. Empty wrappers and soda cans cover the coffee table. There was just one difference; Damon wasn't there.

"Damon! Pick up. I am going insane worrying about you! Where the hell did you go?" Elena dialed his number again. After an hour of trying to reach Damon she was fed up. She grabbed her keys and headed for the Salvatore boarding house.

"Elena what are you doing here?"

" Oh hey Stefan. Have you seen Damon?"

"Um…yeah I think he's in his room. What's wrong?" he saw her walking up the staircase. "I wouldn't go up there if I were you."

"Why not Stefan?" She didn't even bother waiting for a response she just made her way up the staircase. She opened his door to see an empty room but she heard a noise coming from his bathroom

She walked in to find Damon throwing up in the trashcan. "Damon, what the hell happened?" she rushed to his side and handed him a box of tissues.

"Nothing, Elena. I'm fine. Go home. I'll meet you later." He said it with a soft, gentle voice but behind that she heard a bit of a demanding tone.

"Are you insane? No way in hell I'm leaving until you tell me what the hell is happening here!"

He stood up and walked over to the sink he started splashing water all over his face and rinsing his mouth." I'm okay now Lena. Please just go or wait downstairs."

"No Damon! I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

"Elena enough!" He yelled. She was worried about him and he could see that. He loved her for it. But she'd never give him a break if he told her what was actually happening. "I was just feeling kind of woozy and then I felt kind of sick. Please Lena. I'll call you tomorrow but right now you need to go home, Okay? I promise you I will be fine."

"Damon I am here for you. I need… I want to help you. Please Just tell me what the problem is."

"Dammit, Elena! I said I don't want to talk about it why can't we just leave it at that?" He shook his head and started walking out. "Actually no, don't answer that. If you won't leave then I will. Just please be gone when I get back." He walked out of his room and she heard the front door close with a bang.

**Monday, April 9.**

It's been a whole day. Elena had been waiting at the Salvatore boarding house for one whole day and still Damon isn't back yet. She'd asked Stefan what the hell was going on but he said Damon should decide whether or not she knows. 'Knows what?' What the hell was there for her to know? She thought has officially gone insane. She sat there on Damon's bed waiting for him to come back. She left him 29 voicemails; she sent him 45 texts and still no reply. She didn't get it. She just wanted to know what happened to Damon. _Why the hell won't anybody tell me?_ She thought.

She got up and walked over to Damon's dresser. She marveled at all the things he kept on it. She'd mocked him about keeping stuff on his dresser, thinking it was so un-masculine of him. He had a picture of him and Stefan next to a wooden toy car. At the bottom of the picture frame were the words 'my sons'. Elena knew Damon's mom must have engraved it. Damon and Stefan's father was a soldier fighting in the war. He'd died while their mother was still pregnant with Stefan. Damon didn't mention him much. She figured it was because he didn't remember him.

There was a photo of him and his mom. There was even a picture of him and Elena. It was of the two of them with Stefan. It was from Stefan and Elena's graduation. Elena's mom had taken the picture while none of them were looking.

_"Stefan you're insane if you think I'm going to hug you." Damon said sarcastically. But Stefan pulled him in for one anyway. Instead of pulling away, Damon embraced his younger brother." Congratulations, brother!" He patted Stefan on the back._

_"Oh my god!" Elena said sarcastically." You two actually know how to hug each other?" _

_"Don't be so surprised!" Damon smirked." I'm a good guy you know?" _

_"A good guy with a __**big**__ ego" she laughed._

_"So are you going to join us or just watch?" Stefan lifted his arm, making room in the hug for Elena. She gladly accepted the offer._

_"Ugh! I hate groupies!" Damon groaned._

_"Too late!" They heard a camera click and turned to see Miranda gilbert taking a picture of the three of them._

_"Mom!" Elena cringed. "Way to embarrass me in front of these two knuckleheads!"_

Elena was shaken by the text alert on her phone. She checked the ID. Damon.

_Hey Lena, I know we need to talk meet me at your house in 10._

_-D_

She got up and put Damon's picture back into its place. She shut the door behind her and headed straight to her house.

As she walked in she saw Jeremy sitting on the couch playing Xbox.

"Hey is Damon here?" she asked while peeping into the kitchen.

"Yeah I think he said he was going to wait upstairs." He barely even looked at her, keeping his eyes focused **ONLY** on his game.

"Thanks!" she headed upstairs, mentally preparing herself for whatever they were going to talk about. She opened the door expecting to find Damon sitting on her bed or beside the window where he usually was. But instead she walked into an empty room. The window was open and there was a letter on the bed. She picked it up and slowly traced her fingers over the writing, reading it over and over again just to make sure she read it right. No matter how many times she read it though, it always said the same thing.

_Dear Lena,_

_I know you probably hate me right now. And if you don't, I'm pretty sure you will after you read this. I'm so sorry but I'm not ready to deal with what's happening to me and I don't want you to worry about it so please don't be mad at Stefan if he doesn't tell you. I need to deal with this alone. I'm leaving town for a bit, but I'll be back. I promise you._

"He's gone." She whispered as she dropped the note to the ground and didn't fight back towards the tears that so eagerly wanted to come out.

Damon watched from outside her window. He saw the pain in her eyes and the tears slipping down her face. He started walking towards his car, which he'd parked behind her house. Before he got in, he looked back at her house. "I'm sorry Lena," it was barely even a whisper but he couldn't help but hope she heard him. He got into his car and rove straight to Alaric's. Alaric was Damon's "friend." As he called it.

"Damon? Hey what are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Where are you going?"

"Away."

After their awkwardly long goodbye, Damon drove away, leaving Mystic Falls behind him. But more importantly, leaving his brother and Elena.

**Authors Note: Next chapter will be from Damon's point of view. There will be a few Stefan and Damon flashbacks. And you'll start seeing exactly how Damon feels about Elena.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry this chapter took so much longer to write than I'd thought it would. I suffered from a major case of writers block. This chapter itself isn't very long but it's just because next chapter is a big one.**

**Please if you don't mind can you guys check out my new DE Oneshot. It's post 5x22. I'm writing a new story too it will be ready in a few days. **

**Also so one last thing, I'm in desperate need of a beta if anyone is interested.**

Eternally Chapter 3; All roads lead me back.

Damon drove and drove and just kept driving as far away from there as possible. He just needed time. Why didn't anybody get that? Elena was always putting so much stress on him to do the right thing. To be the better man. Well this is what he's doing. Why the hell didn't anybody understand.

As he kept driving he thought about the events of that day. How it had turned out so differently from how it was supposed to be.

It was supposed to be a normal Sunday morning. He was supposed to get up after their 5 hour movie marathon. He was supposed to make some snarky comment about the adorable way Elena slept on the couch. Then he'd go home and make fun of Stefan for doing something normal. And the rest of the day he'd spend thinking about that amazing kiss with Katherine. The way his lips felt against hers. The way she tasted. And just how perfect it all was. But that was not at all how his day went.

Instead he'd break the heart of the only person who'd stood by him through everything. The person who'd fought for him, defended him when no one else had. She was the only person other than this his mother who ever saw the real him. His true side. And now he'd broken her heart.

And Stefan? Stefan didn't deserve any of this. Even though Damon made fun of him all the time. There was no one in the world who was as special as his younger brother. Sometimes Damon wondered how Stefan didn't end up in a gang with a body covered in tattoos and a girlfriend called Snake.

With the childhood he'd had, if anyone was ever going to have issues it would've Stefan. Damon had to care of this 16 year old boy even though he wasn't even sure of how to take care of himself. And yet he didn't screw it up. He should've, being damon he should've screwed up a million times over, but he didn't. Stefan was the one thing damon actually took pride in being a part of. And he just left him behind.

Damon hoped Stefan and Elena wouldn't turn into Bonnie and Clyde and start searching the planet for him. They would just have to deal with him being gone. Even though he knew those two weren't the type to give up easily. Even when Stefan was a little boy once he had his mind set on something he was determine to get it no matter what.

*" ." Damon looked up to see a 6 year old Stefan running towards him.

"What's wrong Stef?" He placed his hand on his younger brothers shoulder. There were tears in his eyes and he looked very worried.

"It's Mr. Whiskers." Damon couldn't help but slip out a slight smile when he heard the name. Mr. Whiskers was Stefan's hamster. Damon never really understood the logic behind calling him that and he wasn't sure Stefan did either.

"What happened to him?" Damon said, standing up.

"Me and Mamma have been looking everywhere and we can't find him. Please help Damon." He nodded slowly and started walking around the garden looking for the tiny creature.

After a few minutes, Damon heard a scream coming from the kitchen.

"Did you find him,Mamma?" He asked. He watched her place Stefan on the counter and rub salt over a wound on his elbow. It was bleeding a lot. But Damon believed himself to be brave boy so he did not get worried too much. "What happened?" He asked Stefan.

"I saw walking on top of the cupboard and I called but no one came so I climbed up on the shelves to get it."

"And the shelf fell on my little boy." His mother finished. Then,she gently took him off the counter"But my boy is the strongest and bravest of them all. Right Damon?"

Damon just nodded while he and his mother watched in awe as Stefan got up and ran outside and continued playing as if nothing had ever happened.

A smile came across Damon's face as the memory came to him. But it faded just as fast when the car ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere and he remembered where he was and what was happening. He started getting out of his car, Hoping someone driving past would be decent enough to give him a ride to the nearest gas station. And then he'd need a ride back to his car.

This is going to be a long night. is all Damon thought as he grabbed his jacket from the backseat and started walking in the direction he was headed.

Xxxx

Elena glanced at her phone, staring at it . Waiting for an answer. A reply, a call, even a fucking 'Hey' would have been.

She just needed to know that he'd be okay.

She needed to know that he'd come back.

She needed to know that if she fell asleep he'd be there when she woke up.

But there was no such luck for her. She'd spent the past 72 hours searching for him. She'd spent them going into every pub and bar and night club that there was searching for Damon. And even though she kept telling everybody-mostly herself- that Damon wouldn't have gone too far, she knew that he was Damon fucking Salvatore. So if he was going to leave town he'd do it properly, or not at all.

She got out of the bed and placed her phone in her night gowns pocket. She would never forgive herself if Damon called and she'd missed it. She put on her warm slippers and made her way down the staircase of the Salvatore residence.

She'd been staying there in case Damon came home late at night or early in the morning, trying to avoid her. She still didn't know why the hell he just took off. I just need time. Is what the letter had said.

Time for what? What the hell was wrong with him? Didn't he know how much she needed him? How much she needed him to tell her everything was going to be okay? Damon was her everything, so how could he just take off?

Over the years she'd learned to accept the fact that he'd never want what she wanted. Never feel what she'd felt. Never love her like she loved him. But she never imagined he'd leave.

She heard someone talking downstairs and started moving faster, thinking it was Damon. It was just Stefan on the phone.

She heard him whispering.

"Yes this is he"

She watched him wait patiently as whoever was on the otherend told him something.

"I'll be right there."

Elena went down and saw that Stefan was crying. What the hell just happened?

"What happened?" She pulled him into a hug.

He broke free of her grip and grabbed his coat from the counter next to him.

"Stefan, what happened?"

"Damon-" she jumped at the mention of his name.

"Damon was in an accident."


	4. Chapter 4

**Eternally Chapter 4:**

**The Lives We Left Behind**

**I highly recommend listening to Ed Sheeran's afire love before reading this**

It was only 3 hours later than Stefan and Elena reached the hospital. The ambulance had rushed him off to a town nearby. They both ran out of the car and into the emergency room as fast as they could. "I'm looking for Damon Salvatore. He's my brother." Elena heard Stefan say over the sound of her sobs.

"Let me just check." The nurse began typing on the computer." Ah. Damon Salvatore. I'm guessing you're his next of kin? Stefan Salvatore?"

Stefan slowly nodded." Do you know where he is?"

She sighed." Damon has suffered major blood loss and is in a very critical condition. The doctors just finished operating on him but it might take awhile for him to wake up."

"What happened to him?" Elena sobbed.

"I'm sorry miss, but who are you?" The nurse said pointing to Elena.

"I'm his... Best friend." She whispered sadly.

"Well, Are you aware of Damon's... State?" She asked.

"No she isn't." Stefan said a bit rudely.

"What state?" Elena asked.

The nurse looked at Stefan and he nodded slowly. "Well After Mr. Salvatore explains it to you this will make a lot more sense... Damon collapsed on the highway. He was carrying a few liters of gas, which I'm guessing were for his car, which state police found on the outskirts of town. The gas emptied itself onto the ground beside him and because he was still conscious he inhaled plenty of it, which in big amounts could destroy his lungs." The nurse said.

Elena gasped. "Oh my god, Damon." She whispered before turning to Stefan." But I thought you said he was in an accident."

"That's what they told me." Stefan sighed.

"I'm afraid it's true." The nurse said softly.

"But you just said he only inhaled the gas and collapsed." Elena snapped.

"Unfortunately, a truck driver saw Damon on the road and called 911 but after ten minutes they weren't there yet so he decided to take matters into his own hands. They were right around the corner from the hospital when a drunken driver bumped them. The impact sent the truck spinning until it landed on its side."

She placed a hand on Elena's shoulder." He has suffered major injuries but he is in recovery. If you'd like you could go to see him."

Elena just shook her head." Not yet."

"Well if you want to see him just tell someone that Rose gave you access to see him." She whispered before walking away.

Elena turned to Stefan. "Please Stefan, tell me the truth. Don't lie to me. Damon wouldn't tell me and look where that got us." She gulped and held back tears." Please just save us all the heart ache."

He nodded at her. "Sit down." He gestured for the chair beside him.

…..

_"Damon? Damon?" Stefan yelled as he entered the boarding house. _

_"In here!" Damon said from the kitchen._

_"Where were you today? Elena needed you. It's the anniversary of her parent's death. You're her best frie-" he was cut off by the sound of coughing._

_Damon quickly turned to the sink as blood started coming out every time he coughed. _

_"Damon what happened? Are you okay?" Stefan asked once Damon had rinsed the sink and wiped his face._

_"I can't tell you." Damon whispered, sincerely._

_"Why not?" _

_"Because you'll tell Elena." He said matter-of-factly. _

_"Damon, you're my brother. Please tell me. I'll do whatever you want I won't even tell Elena if you don't want me too. Please just tell me what going on!" Stefan snapped._

_"I went to the doctor last week because I was having constant chest pains. He said he'd run some tests but it probably wasn't something to worry about. But 2 days ago he called me and when I went there he said I have CHD." _

_Stefan gasped._

_"Anyway, a common symptom is Angina." He finished._

_"But what's with all the blood?" Stefan asked._

_"Apparently the previous pills I was taking don't really agree with my new ones!" He joked. _

_"Why were you taking pills?" Stefan snapped, annoyed at Damon's humorous tone towards the situation. _

_"For the pains, that cute pharmacist... The blonde one. She said they'd stop the pain for a few hours... And they did but now I have new meds." _

_"Why don't you want Elena to know?" _

_"Because if she knows then she'll do what she always does... She'll have hope. And I don't want to be the one to disappoint her. So that's not even an option. Elena doesn't need to know. END OF DISCUSSION. Got it?" Damon yelled. Stefan nodded before sadly exiting the room._

"Oh my God!" Elena gasped after hearing the story Stefan told her. "I need to see him."

"You can go, I'll wait here for any news." He gestured towards the room, which Damon was in.

She nodded politely and got up. She walked slowly until she reached the door. She quickly wiped her tears and took a deep breath before opening the door. But even that wasn't enough because as soon as she opened the door she froze. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she saw Damon, and soon enough they did.

He looked so broken. His face covered in bruises, his legs in casts, and the rest of him looked just as bad.

She picked up a chair from beside the window and placed it beside him. "Hey you." She whispered." You shouldn't be here. You should be at home complaining about the new chic flic I just got." She felt fresh tears fall." You're not dying Damon. So you better wake up soon or I swear to god when you do I will kill you. You need to stay. You need to fight. I need you to fight this. For me."

She sat beside him and rests her head on the chair and slowly let unconsciousness capture her as she drowsily examined his body.

…

_"Damon, wait for me!" 5-year-old Elena yelled from behind him._

_He was having too much fun to stop running. Only when he turned around a minute later, did he notice that she wasn't still chasing him. "Elena!" He said in a sing-songy voice." Catch me if you can!" _

_"Ouch, Damon Help me." She helplessly called from behind._

_He ran back to see what was happening. He saw her lying on the ground beside a bush. Her leg was caught in a branch. She was crying so he sat down next to her and gave her a hug." Are you okay?"_

_"Damon it hurts." She sobbed._

_"Wait here I'll go get my mom." He said standing up, but she wouldn't let go of her hand._

_"No please don't leave me. It hurts and I'm scared. Please stay?" _

_"Okay, okay." He nodded. He started yelling. "Mama! Mama!"_

_Sure enough a few seconds later she showed up." What happened Elena?" She said when she saw her._

_"She fell and I can't help her get out." Damon said worriedly._

_Within a few moments she had gotten Elena out with just a single bruise on her leg. "Why don't you go and lie down inside?" She asked Elena._

_"I can't walk... It hurts." She whimpered as she stood up. _

_"It's okay Mama." Damon whispered." I got her." _

_He gently put Elena's arm around his neck and lifted her up. As she started giggling._

_"What's so funny?" Damon asked._

_"My mommy said my daddy carried her like this when they got marriage."_

_Damon couldn't help but laugh at that. _

_"Are we marriaged Damon?" _

_"No Elena." He whispered with a laugh. "But when I grow up I'm going to marry a pretty girl who's brave... Just like you."_

_"Damon?" She whispered. He placed on the couch and then sat down beside her. "Am I going to be okay?"_

_The nine year old looked at her with so much happiness in his eyes." You and me Elena, we're soldiers. We're not going to let anything hurt us. Okay?" _

_She just nodded before laying her head down on the pillow beside her and in a few minutes she was sound asleep._

….

"Elena?" She heard a voice say. She opened her eyes slowly, still unaware of where she was.

Once the memories of the morning came back to her she quickly sat up. "Damon?"

"No. It's me." She turned to see the nurse from the night before, Rose, standing beside Damon, checking his monitors.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asked.

"Nope." She whispered with an emphasis on the 'p'. "Just making sure his vitals are stable."

"Did he wake up last night?"

"No, but Stefan is asking to see you, he didn't want to come in here. He said he's not sure he's ready."

Elena nodded before grabbing her bag and heading for the door. "Please let me know as soon as something happens." She asked. Rose nodded and Elena left the room.

She walked around for a few minutes before seeing Stefan sitting by a window looking out. "Hey you." She whispered playfully.

"Hey." He said half-heartedly." Any improvements?"

She just shook her head.

"He's going to make it you know?" Stefan said with a smile. "He's Damon freaking Salvatore. There is no way he's going to let this be the end of him."

Elena smiled to herself. "He's a soldier." She whispered.

"What?" Stefan said, not understanding the meaning behind what she'd said.

"Nothing. It's just something Damon said when we were kids." She smiled. Before looking down and feeling a single tear fall from her eyes. "I miss him, Stefan."

"Me too, Lena." He said. "Me too." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Elena! Elena!" They heard a voice calling from behind them. They turned to see Rose rushing towards them.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Rose whispered with a smile that stretched straight across her face. "Damon's awake."

**I know I said that this chapter would be longer but when I couldn't really decide how the DE reunion would be. My mind is still processing what's going on in the vampire diaries. Hopefully, ill have it up in about a week or two maybe even less.**


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